Hutton, James1715-1795

Moravian bookseller at the 'Bible and Sun' in London. The son of the Rev. John Hutton, a non-juring clergyman, he was educated at Westminster School. He formed a friendship with the Wesleys and he and his sister were among John Wesley's converts. He published many of Wesley's early works and later George Whitefield's Journals. Under the influence of the Moravians, he was a founder member of the Fetter Lane society and became one of the leading figures in the Moravian Church in England, while remaining on good terms with the Wesleys and Whitefield. In 1741 he was instrumental in the formation of the Society for the Furtherance of the Gospel. Over-borrowing led to financial problems and he worked strenuously to avert bankruptcy. Marriage to a Swiss wife helped him to consolidate Moravian work in Switzerland.